Way, way too early look at the Sharks forward lines for next season

It’s only April, but Sharks fans don’t have the playoffs to look forward to and we still haven’t had a chance to see how the draft lottery plays out. That means there’s not much else to do but sit here and ponder what the Sharks could look like next season. So, let’s take a way, way too early look at the Sharks forward lines. We’ll look at the defense and goaltending in another post.

Sharks forwards under contract

Starting out with the forwards already under contract, who will, presumably, play with the big club next season. Here’s how the lines would shake out:

?? – Logan Couture – Collin Graf
William Eklund – Mikael Granlund – Fabian Zetterlund
Klim Kostin – Nico Sturm – Thomas Bordeleau
Givani Smith – ?? – ??

The roster makes a couple of assumptions. One is that Captain Logan Couture is healthy enough to start the season. Couture hopes to get back on the ice in July, so if all goes well, he will center the first line. If he’s not healthy, then slide the second line up to the first position, and we’ll deal with the rest in a moment.

But let’s assume Couture is healthy. Collin Graf is on the first line simply because I want to see the “Lund” line back together next season. With Graf and Couture, we just need one more top-line forward. That’s a problem that will, hopefully, be solved in the 2024 draft.

As previously stated, we’re putting the Lund line back together. All three players had excellent seasons and it’s a pretty darn good second line for a team a season removed from a 32nd overall finish.

The third line isn’t a bad one, either.

As for the fourth line, I’d rather not slot Givani Smith in permanently on the fourth line, but if we have to, we’ll do it. We still need a few other players to round out the line.

All in all, if everyone’s healthy, this isn’t a bad start.

Filling holes in the forward lines

Starting out on the first line, as stated, everyone cross their fingers that Commissioner Gary Bettman helps the Pittsburgh Penguins win the draft lottery (there’s no way he lets San Jose win) and the Sharks luck into that first pick.

Suddenly, that first line shapes out well. Couture’s back and he has a young protege to shape into a future number one NHL center. If Couture is not back, the pick that shall not be named will slide into the center role, and filling a top-line spot on the wing is a little easier. Again, let’s assume Couture is healthy for the sake of this post.

As argued in a previous post, Will Smith spends one more year at Boston College. We’ll reserve his spot centering the second line for next season. Therefore, the second line is still good.

The third line gets a small tweak. Bordeleau slides to center, the Sharks re-sign Luke Kunin, a current RFA, and now we have a nice third line with some grit.

Sturm drops down to the fourth line, and we pull Daniil Gushchin up from the AHL. The Sharks sign one or two free agents. Preferably veteran guys who can slide up if need be and can mentor young players in the interim.

Short, affordable contracts that are tradeable are preferable, but medium-sized contracts with a bit more money might fit too. Are players like Jonathan Marchessault or Chandler Stephenson out in Vegas? Anthony Mantha is another one Vegas may not be able to afford to keep. Does Anthony Duclair want to come back? Would Joe Pavelski return now that Mike Grier is in charge? Or maybe the Sharks help a team out with a salary dump. These are mostly pipe dreams, but the Sharks have the cap space and can afford to pay a guy or two if it means a strong veteran presence on and off the ice.

So, with all of that said, here are what next season’s lines could look like after the draft and free agency.

2024 Draft Pick – Logan Couture – Collin Graf
William Eklund – Mikael Granlund – Fabian Zetterlund
Klim Kostin – Thomas Bordeleau – Luke Kunin
Veteran A – Nico Sturm – Daniil Gushchin
Givani Smith – Veteran B

All of this is assuming that Veteran A and Veteran B aren’t good enough to play higher up the line up. If they are, the team looks even better next season.

Does the money work?

I know what most Sharks fans are thinking: that’s all well and good, but what does the money look like?

If the contracts above play out the way we think they will, with Bordeleau and Kunin receiving slight raises and a couple of veteran forwards signed, we’re looking at just over $32.5 million for all of the team’s forward contracts.

San Jose Sharks’ outlook at forward

All in all, the Sharks’ outlook at the forward position isn’t bad next season, especially if Couture returns healthy. Even if he doesn’t, there’s a hope that the Sharks will possibly draft his heir apparent this season. If not, Will Smith is in the pipeline and could be impactful in the next season or two.

Of course, the offense would have been fine (note fine, not great) this season as well if injuries hadn’t decimated the forward group. It was the defense that was truly atrocious and will need an overhaul this offseason.